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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

Lately, I've been posting some of my short improvisations on Instagram. Sharing my own original musical creations with the world is not something I've done much of, but it's kind of inspiring to think about.

Now, I'm thinking: I would like to write some music for beginner or intermediate pianists.

Whatever I write is going to be comfortable to play, and will sound harder than it is. But, I need some ideas. So, I'm asking: what would you like to play?

This is just an experiment for now, and I will share the results with this forum.

Lately, I've been posting some of my short improvisations on Instagram. Sharing my own original musical creations with the world is not something I've done much of, but it's kind of inspiring to think about.

Now, I'm thinking: I would like to write some music for beginner or intermediate pianists.

Whatever I write is going to be comfortable to play, and will sound harder than it is. But, I need some ideas. So, I'm asking: what would you like to play?

This is just an experiment for now, and I will share the results with this forum.

What a great idea! As a teacher, writing beginner repertoire that sounds musically appealing is a real challenge - so if you can come up with something like that it would really be great. I recommend you get a copy of some popular method books - like Piano Adventures at different levels to get an idea of what students would be capable of playing at those levels (so you don't write something that just would not suit beginners at all).

I'm not sure of your style of playing, but I think that a contemporary/new age sound would be the easiest way to make something that sounds appealing while staying within the limits of what beginners can do.

As a composer myself, I know that there is a huge difference between improv and composition. Have you ever written down what you've improvised and edited the content to make it a composed piece before? Often improvs lack a structure, and rather than developing ideas they usually are a series of new ideas. So this difference may be another challenge for you - not to discourage you in any way, just to point out the difference. Improv is a great way to come up with ideas, but that's only a small part of composing.

I did much the same thing that you're attempting. My advice would be to discover what sounds and rhythms you enjoy, and encapsulate those in a beginner piece.

The mode of discovery I use is improvisation, and I'm terrible at it... if you're sharing your improvisations with others, then you're probably quite accomplished already!

If you're looking for a form, I might suggest a small set of preludes. Then again, form is entirely up to you as well: a lot of composers did one-offs as "album leaves", and those aren't as strict, formally speaking. That might be a route to go.

Art is one of the few spots in life where we get to have it our way... take advantage of it!

A the moment I would like to play something between Rock, Boogie Jazz and pop, with rhythm and perhaps a part with a melody not to speed and a more rhythmic part. Something fun.

I've been doing this for several years now... but mostly writing my own songs and arrangements and posting them on my YT channel. Some are better than others, and none of them are all that good, but they are original, as a general rule.

But on occasion, one of my original music videos will get thousands of views, and sometimes hundreds of thousands. This is especially true for the boogie-woogie tunes.

And, you are right, it is fun and exciting to see how others respond to your original music/songs/compositions, for better or worse. And, just like in the real world, not everyone likes me or my music.

But it has been a really fun and enjoyable hobby.

All the best!

Rick

Piano enthusiast and amateur musician: "Treat others the way you would like to be treated". Yamaha C7. YouTube Channel

I'm not sure of your style of playing, but I think that a contemporary/new age sound would be the easiest way to make something that sounds appealing while staying within the limits of what beginners can do.

I tend to be attracted to that sound as well, so that might be the direction I go in. Thanks for the tips.

Originally Posted by mcontraveos

The mode of discovery I use is improvisation, and I'm terrible at it... if you're sharing your improvisations with others, then you're probably quite accomplished already!

Eh, I don't know how accomplished I am as an improviser. Not a beginner, certainly, but sharing them with others is definitely on the more recent side.

Originally Posted by BachToTheFuture

A the moment I would like to play something between Rock, Boogie Jazz and pop, with rhythm and perhaps a part with a melody not to speed and a more rhythmic part. Something fun.

What do you mean by "a melody not to speed"? Do you mean something that's not too fast?

Originally Posted by Rickster

But on occasion, one of my original music videos will get thousands of views, and sometimes hundreds of thousands. This is especially true for the boogie-woogie tunes.

Hey, that's pretty cool! I checked out your YouTube channel. I do like boogie-woogie piano, but honestly I haven't played it much...

Lately, I've been posting some of my short improvisations on Instagram. Sharing my own original musical creations with the world is not something I've done much of, but it's kind of inspiring to think about.

Now, I'm thinking: I would like to write some music for beginner or intermediate pianists.

Whatever I write is going to be comfortable to play, and will sound harder than it is. But, I need some ideas. So, I'm asking: what would you like to play?

This is just an experiment for now, and I will share the results with this forum.

Interesting topic. As an adult late starter I really hate a lot of children's learning pieces. It feels unimaginative to have to learn them. I responded really well to Bartok's Microcosmos. Graded pieces that are interesting on the ear from the beginning.

So I say:

I have adopted this and made it my own: [clap clap]Cut back the weakness, reinforce what is strong. [repeat]

Interesting topic. As an adult late starter I really hate a lot of children's learning pieces. It feels unimaginative to have to learn them. I responded really well to Bartok's Microcosmos. Graded pieces that are interesting on the ear from the beginning.

Yeah, I agree that children's pieces can be unimaginative.

The other thing I'm considering is writing simpler arrangements of classical pieces. Most of those that are published seem to totally remove whatever made the original piece worth playing in the first place. Is there any interest in this?

When writing beginner pieces, you have to consider including certain techniques of playing into them like separate notes, slurs, staccato, etc. You may be writing pieces in increasing difficulty starting with ones where a beginner would play 1 melody line alternating between L & R followed by simple 1 note bass accompaniment and then L chords.

There are already books where well-known Classical pieces are simplified and rearranged with just the main melody and simple L accompaniment / chords. You can take folk songs that everybody knows and turn them into easy arrangements.

As a very beginner I agree with others that I do not like a lot of children’s music. I also do not like turning classical music into melody and accompaniment either though. I rather it just be music types that are melody and accompaniment with cords already that slowly builds up skills and the amount of chords, dynamics, rhythms etc. I also feel like pieces are often so short. I think for both adults and older kids there definitely would be interest in something that uses different types of songs.